House Band

Velourosaurus

Some days, you just wanna hear the hits. Not club hits, not Top 40, but the timeless, ageless, pulse-tempo classics that have become woven into the fabric of American collective consciousness. For those days, Velourosaurus are your guys. Led by four longstanding players in the Portland scene, this vibrant and remarkably skilled house band can play from scores of your favorite rock, funk, blues, and reggae songs from the Grateful Dead, Stevie Wonder, the White Stripes, Creedence, and countless others. Frontman Eric Bettencourt’s vocals can pull off breezily carefree one breath and emotionally strained the next, lending these well-traveled songs a renewed soul. This award doesn’t come easy — though their members are frequently busy with other projects, Velourosaurus play constantly. In fact, you have 58 chances to see them locally between the presentation of this award and Labor Day. | velourosaurus.comRUNNERS-UP: Jerks of Grass, Running Gags, Soupbone